Totakacharya (IAST Toṭakācārya) 8th century CE) was a disciple of Ādi Śaṅkara, the Advaita Vedanta teacher. He was made the first Jagadguru (head) of the Jyotirmaṭha Pīthaṃ, the original northern maṭha founded by Ādi Śaṅkara in Uttrakhand.
॥ ತೋಟಕಾಷ್ಟಕಂ ಶ್ರೀಶಂಕರದೇಶಿಕಾಷ್ಟಕಂ ಚ ॥
॥ ತೋಟಕಾಷ್ಟಕಂ ಶ್ರೀಶಂಕರದೇಶಿಕಾಷ್ಟಕಂ ಚ ॥
ವಿದಿತಾಖಿಲಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಸುಧಾಜಲಧೇ ಮಹಿತೋಪನಿಷತ್ ಕಥಿತಾರ್ಥನಿಧೇ ।
ಹೃದಯೇ ಕಲಯೇ ವಿಮಲಂ ಚರಣಂ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 1॥
ಕರುಣಾವರುಣಾಲಯ ಪಾಲಯ ಮಾಂ ಭವಸಾಗರದುಃಖವಿದೂನಹೃದಮ್ ।
ರಚಯಾಖಿಲದರ್ಶನತತ್ತ್ವವಿದಂ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 2॥
ಭವತಾ ಜನತಾ ಸುಹಿತಾ ಭವಿತಾ ನಿಜಬೋಧವಿಚಾರಣ ಚಾರುಮತೇ ।
ಕಲಯೇಶ್ವರಜೀವವಿವೇಕವಿದಂ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 3॥
ಭವ ಏವ ಭವಾನಿತಿ ಮೇ ನಿತರಾಂ ಸಮಜಾಯತ ಚೇತಸಿ ಕೌತುಕಿತಾ ।
ಮಮ ವಾರಯ ಮೋಹಮಹಾಜಲಧಿಂ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 4॥
ಸುಕೃತೇಽಧಿಕೃತೇ ಬಹುಧಾ ಭವತೋ ಭವಿತಾ ಸಮದರ್ಶನಲಾಲಸತಾ ।
ಅತಿದೀನಮಿಮಂ ಪರಿಪಾಲಯ ಮಾಂ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 5॥
ಜಗತೀಮವಿತುಂ ಕಲಿತಾಕೃತಯೋ ವಿಚರನ್ತಿ ಮಹಾಮಹಸಶ್ಛಲತಃ ।
ಅಹಿಮಾಂಶುರಿವಾತ್ರ ವಿಭಾಸಿ ಗುರೋ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 6॥
ಗುರುಪುಂಗವ ಪುಂಗವಕೇತನ ತೇ ಸಮತಾಮಯತಾಂ ನಹಿ ಕೋಽಪಿ ಸುಧೀಃ ।
ಶರಣಾಗತವತ್ಸಲ ತತ್ತ್ವನಿಧೇ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 7॥
ವಿದಿತಾ ನ ಮಯಾ ವಿಶದೈಕಕಲಾ ನ ಚ ಕಿಂಚನ ಕಾಂಚನಮಸ್ತಿ ಗುರೋ ।
ದ್ರುತಮೇವ ವಿಧೇಹಿ ಕೃಪಾಂ ಸಹಜಾಂ ಭವ ಶಂಕರ ದೇಶಿಕ ಮೇ ಶರಣಮ್ ॥ 8॥
ಇತಿ ಶ್ರೀಮತ್ತೋಟಕಾಚಾರ್ಯವಿರಚಿತಂ ಶ್ರೀಶಂಕರದೇಶಿಕಾಷ್ಟಕಂ ಸಮ್ಪೂರ್ಣಮ್ ।
**********
Here is an article containing the toTakAShTakam, eight verses composed in honor of Adi ShankarAchArya. A short description of the advaita paramparA and a short account of Shankara's disciple to Taka are included.
Invocation:
ಶಂಕರಂ ಶಂಕರಾಚಾರ್ಯಂ ಕೇಶವಂ ಬಾದರಾಯಣಮ್ ।
ಸೂತ್ರಭಾಷ್ಯಕೃತೌ ವನ್ದೇ ಭಗವನ್ತೌ ಪುನಃ ಪುನಃ ॥
I offer obeisances again and again to shrI Veda VyAsa, the author of the Brahma sUtras, who is none other than Lord VishNu, and shrI ShankarAchArya, the commentator on those sUtras, who is none other than Lord Shiva.
advaita guru-paramparA:
ನಾರಾಯಣಂ ಪದ್ಮಭುವಂ ವಸಿಷ್ಠಂ ಶಕ್ತಿಂ ಚ ತತ್ಪುತ್ರಪರಾಶರಂ ಚ ।
ವ್ಯಾಸಂ ಶುಕಂ ಗೌಡಪದಂ ಮಹಾನ್ತಂ ಗೋವಿನ್ದಯೋಗೀನ್ದ್ರಮಥಾಸ್ಯ ಶಿಷ್ಯಮ್ ॥
ಶ್ರೀ ಶಂಕರಾಚಾರ್ಯಮಥಾಸ್ಯ ಪದ್ಮಪಾದಂ ಚ ಹಸ್ತಾಮಲಕಂ ಚ ಶಿಷ್ಯಮ್ ।
ತಂ ತೋಟಕಂ ವಾರ್ತಿಕಕಾರಮನ್ಯಾನಸ್ಮದ್ಗುರೂನ್ ಸಂತತಮಾನತೋಽಸ್ಮಿ ॥
These two verses honor the advaita paramparA. The names mentioned here,
in order, are 1) ShrIman nArAyaNa, 2) BrahmA, 3) VasiShTha, 4) Shakti, 5) ParAshara, 6) VyAsa, 7) Shuka, 8) GauDapAda, 9) GovindapAda, 10) ShrI (Adi) ShankarAchArya, and his four disciples, 11) PadmapAda, 12) HastAmalaka, 13) toTaka, and 14) Sureshvara, and other Gurus.
Sureshvara is also known as VArttikakAra because he wrote the famous vArttika's on the BRihadAraNyaka and taittirIya upaniShads. ShrImannArAyaNa instructed the Vedas to BrahmA. The Vedas have no author, and are hence called ``apauruSheya.'' Veda VyAsa authored the Brahma sUtra
and other texts, such as the GItA, to expound the knowledge of the Vedas. Jagadguru Adi ShankarAchArya is a unique historical figure of India in that he combined within himself the characteristics of a poet, logician, an ardent devotee and a mystic and at the same time was the leading exponent of the system of philosophy called advaita. In his commentaries on the Prasthanatraya, he exhibited a rare faculty of relentlessly logical and concatenated argument and refutation, and such subtlety of reasoning as has been unsurpassed in the philosophical works of the world. His main teachings may be summarized as the affirmation of SamsAra or succession of births and deaths due to Karma and its significance, the realization of the essential relativity of phenomena in comparsion to the reality of the Supreme Self, the realization of that Self not being a
mere theoretical exercise, but in the nature of the direct realization and actual experience taught by the upanishadic saying, tattvam asi, ``You are That.''
On the occasion of ShrI Shankara Jayanti, I decided to post the popular stotra on Shankara known as ``toTakAShTaka.'' The hymn is so called because it has been composed in the difficult but beautiful meter called toTaka. There is an interesting history associated with this stotra. Anandagiri
was one of the less scholarly disciples living with Shankara at Sringeri. But Giri, as he was called, was extremely devoted to the AchArya. Giri would always engage himself in the service of his Guru. Once it so happened that Shankara was about to begin his usual morning discourse on the upanishads and the other disciples started reciting the shAntipATha. But Giri was absent because he had gone to the river to wash his Guru's clothes. So Shankara asked the other disciples to wait for Giri's return. But PadmapAda, who was obviously proud of his erudition, said,
``Giri is a dull fellow. He really does not deserve to learn the shAstras. What is the point in waiting for him to join us?'' Shankara decided to humble the pride of PadmapAda and other disciples. Out of sheer compassion for Giri, the AchArya blessed him with the knowledge of the shAstras, making use of supernatural powers to do so. As a result, Giri became a learned scholar instantaneously. Returning from the river, he composed the toTakAShTaka, eight verses in praise of his Guru. The other disciples were struck with wonder to hear him extemporaneously compose the aShTaka in the difficult meter. Giri also composed another work, again in the toTaka meter, called the ShrutisArasamuddharaNa. Due to the grace of the Guru, Giri became a knower of all scriptures, and he earned the respect of PadmapAda and other disciples. He came to be known as toTakAchArya, because he was an adept in composing verses in the toTaka meter. He became one of Shankara's four most important disciples, and was later entrusted with running the JyotirmaTh at Badari.
The above story is from the Shankara digvijaya of Madhava-Vidyaranya.
॥ ತೋಟಕಾಷ್ಟಕಂ ॥
The toTakAShTaka has been composed in the toTaka meter, in which each pAda (quarter) has four sa-gaNa's. Here a sa-gaNa is made up of two short syllables followed by a long one. The hymn naturally lends itself to be set to music. A suggested RAga is (HindustAni) toDi.
*********
No comments:
Post a Comment